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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
About the most plausible "Nazis win WWII" alternate history I've seen. Point of divergence is the German Spring 1942 offensive, which takes Stalingrad and rolls up the Volga to encircle Moscow. Britain subsequently falls -- King Edward and Queen Wallis take the throne, and George & family flee to exile in Canada -- and all of Western Europe is given nominal independence and Finlandized under the European Economic Community. OTOH it was absolutely ruined in the film adaptation, which dumbed the story down to appeal to the "USA! USA! Hoo-raw!" crowd by making D-Day the point of divergence -- betraying a level of historical illiteracy beyond belief. The movie also downplayed Joe Kennedy's Nazi sympathies and removed the ambiguity at the end, instead depicting him as abandoning the summit with Hitler when he saw evidence of the death camps.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Very compelling and readable, it cranks right along. An interesting read at the moment, with so American revisionism going on, our general ignorance of history is alarming. Anyway, really good (but not a cheerful book, of course).
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
genuinely binge read this book! from the moment i read the opening chapter i got hooked onto the development of the plot and the characters. it’s a must read for anyone interested in alternative historical fiction!!
Enjoyed the premise and the world building - wanted more of that. The crime thriller element was okay, but I grew bored of that element two-thirds of the way through.
This book is an interesting blend of alternate history and a crime thriller/mystery.
What if Germany had won World War II? In this alt universe, that has happened. It is now the 1960's. Western Europe is a collection of puppet states (like Vichy France), Russia is all but defeated and has been fighting a decades running guerrilla war funded and trained by the Americans. The cold war was between the US and the Third Reich but the first signs of thawing are happening as president Joseph Kennedy is about to visit Berlin.
In this world, a police detective is called out of bed to identify a John Doe who has washed up from the river. It turns out this body is that of a retired Party bigwig. Even worse, multiple other former have also recently died under suspicious circumstances. Now the detective is teamed up with an American reporter in a race against time to dig up the truth while the Gestapo is also trying to bury the same case (and anyone involved).
I loved the idea of this book more than the reality. Don't get me wrong, Robert Harris has a real page turner here. The writing is great, the plot is paced well. It's just that, I have a hard time rooting for anyone wearing an SS uniform no matter how noble his motives. Xavier March is a believable character, just not a likable one. At least, not for me. This is the only reason why I am not giving this book five stars.
What if Germany had won World War II? In this alt universe, that has happened. It is now the 1960's. Western Europe is a collection of puppet states (like Vichy France), Russia is all but defeated and has been fighting a decades running guerrilla war funded and trained by the Americans. The cold war was between the US and the Third Reich but the first signs of thawing are happening as president Joseph Kennedy is about to visit Berlin.
In this world, a police detective is called out of bed to identify a John Doe who has washed up from the river. It turns out this body is that of a retired Party bigwig. Even worse, multiple other former have also recently died under suspicious circumstances. Now the detective is teamed up with an American reporter in a race against time to dig up the truth while the Gestapo is also trying to bury the same case (and anyone involved).
I loved the idea of this book more than the reality. Don't get me wrong, Robert Harris has a real page turner here. The writing is great, the plot is paced well. It's just that, I have a hard time rooting for anyone wearing an SS uniform no matter how noble his motives. Xavier March is a believable character, just not a likable one. At least, not for me. This is the only reason why I am not giving this book five stars.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Un thriller ambientato in un'immaginaria Germania degli anni '60, una in cui i Nazisti hanno vinto la guerra, Hitler è ancora vivo e vegeto e il Terzo Reich è una superpotenza mondiale con cui fare i conti.
L'idea non è nuova ma ha sempre il suo fascino, soprattutto se come in questo caso viene realizzata in maniera credibile e convincente. Ci si muove in un' atmosfera grigia e opprimente, dove tutti hanno imparato a obbedire e dimenticato come pensare; non si fanno domande nella nuova Germania nazionalsocialista, ci sono solo risposte, quelle offerte dal Fuhrer e dai suoi discepoli.
Come accade spesso nei thriller storici (o ucronici qui in particolare) la trama non è all'altezza dell'ambientazione. La soluzione del mistero in realtà è abbastanza interessante:la storia è fatta dai vincitori, si sa, quindi in quel mondo l'olocausto non è mai ufficialmente avvenuto: cosa accadrebbe se qualcuno per caso si imbattesse nelle prove del più grande genocidio della storia? , però ci si arriva in maniera lenta e tortuosa, senza dei veri colpi di scena che tengano desta l'attenzione. Inutile e fastidiosa poi l'entrata in scena della co-protagonista, la giornalista americana capace in un paio di giorni di scoprire la più grande cospirazione del dopoguerra, sopravvivere a svariati attentati e addirittura far innamorare il burbero ispettore, come nel più banale cliché dei polizieschi di serie B.
Che dire quindi di questo romanzo? Il bilancio fra le buone atmosfere e il thriller mediocre si chiude in parità: senza infamia e senza lode.
L'idea non è nuova ma ha sempre il suo fascino, soprattutto se come in questo caso viene realizzata in maniera credibile e convincente. Ci si muove in un' atmosfera grigia e opprimente, dove tutti hanno imparato a obbedire e dimenticato come pensare; non si fanno domande nella nuova Germania nazionalsocialista, ci sono solo risposte, quelle offerte dal Fuhrer e dai suoi discepoli.
Come accade spesso nei thriller storici (o ucronici qui in particolare) la trama non è all'altezza dell'ambientazione. La soluzione del mistero in realtà è abbastanza interessante:
Che dire quindi di questo romanzo? Il bilancio fra le buone atmosfere e il thriller mediocre si chiude in parità: senza infamia e senza lode.
Spannend boek! Het begint een beetje langzaam en het lijkt een typische ‘film-noir’ thriller te worden, maar dan gaat het los.
Omdat het boek zich afspeelt in een wereld waarin de Nazi’s gewonnen hebben, is ook nooit duidelijk geworden wat er in de concentratiekampen gebeurd is. En de zoektocht naar de waarheid wordt uiteindelijk de kern van het boek.
Ik las in een review dat het boek soms aandeed als 1984, en dat gevoel had ik ook. Zeker een aanrader dus!!
Omdat het boek zich afspeelt in een wereld waarin de Nazi’s gewonnen hebben, is ook nooit duidelijk geworden wat er in de concentratiekampen gebeurd is. En de zoektocht naar de waarheid wordt uiteindelijk de kern van het boek.
Ik las in een review dat het boek soms aandeed als 1984, en dat gevoel had ik ook. Zeker een aanrader dus!!